The head of a group seeking to dump the arms deal has been dumped himself - by his legal team.

They have told Terry Crawford-Browne, top man in the South African branch of Economists Allied for Arms Reduction: "We could have won, but we are not prepared to fight the battle for you any further."

But Crawford-Browne said on Wednesday that they didn't quit; rather, he had fired his counsel for "colluding with the government" in an attempt to quash the case in order to have the arms deal cancelled.

Advocate Norman Arendse SC told The Star on Wednesday that "the allegations made by Crawford-Browne were completely outrageous, a figment of his imagination and highly defamatory".

Crawford-Browne alleged that Arendse and state attorney Lionel Egypt were cutting a deal to "throw" the arms deal case in order to prevent the government being embarrassed ahead of next year's general election.

Arendse said he had taken the unusual step of referring the matter to the Bar Council for investigation.

Crawford-Browne's attorney, Michael Murphy, in a letter blames Crawford-Browne's insistence on issuing press releases on the case for the refusal by his legal team to continue with the suit.

This was even though they had "identified a statutory point in relation to the arms legislation which may in itself create an insurmountable hurdle for the government to overcome".

Murphy lambastes the "trial by media" as well as the accusation that Arendse has been "corralled" by the state, adding that the legal team shared the view that the press releases had to stop.

"The case will be won or lost in the courts and in a novel, intricate and, some would say, revolutionary attempt to apply the law.

"These press releases can only damage the case.

"To suggest that Norman has been somehow corralled by the state is not only ridiculous, it is malicious.

"It is intended to be harmful to a person who has done far more public-interest work than either you or I are aware of.

"I have repeatedly told you that we should not be issuing press release after press release.

"(The case) has very little, or should have very little, to do with Terry Crawford-Browne, Norman Arendse, Michael Murphy or any of us, but rather the rights of millions of impoverished South Africans."

Crawford-Browne on Wednesday promised further details, but was then unreachable for the rest of the day.

With acknowledgements to Estelle Ellis and The Star.